Welcome to my Blog!

Hello, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Feel free to send me an email or leave a comment.

I have been practicing commercial photography in Denver since 1995. Before moving to Colorado, I was working in the Detroit area. Back in those days, the auto industry was doing pretty good and I got a lot of experience working for the big car studios but my wife and I wanted to try living out west. We packed up our little cars and moved to the Denver area. After living in a tent for a month, we found housing and our own niches in the photography world. That seems like a long time ago, we now have two kids, a dog and a mortgage.

My passion in photography is creating images of people on location. I love the fast paced challenge of going into different environments and making interesting portraits. In contrast, I have also come love the slower pace of architectural photography. There is a different set of challenges and it is more about planning and coming up with a clear strategy.

Thanks again for visiting, come back often and hopefully I will be faithful to the true spirit of the blog and have interesting images and words to share. Cheers, Paul Wedlake

Why don’t I photograph sporting events – because of this guy….

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

With the Broncos doing so well leading up to the Super Bowl, quite a few people asked me if I ever shoot any of the games. I usuall say, “no, it’s not really the type of work I do.” I did shot one game when I was still in college though. It was one of my first commissioned shoots. At the beginning of the game, I shot the Detroit Lions cheerleading squad for an auto dealership. The plan was to stay on the sidelines and get some shots for my student portfolio. I borrowed a bunch of expensive gear and big glass from my dad to help with the cause. Things were going really well until I crossed though the endzone to shoot from the other side of the field.

Bam! Something hit me in back of the head and dropped me to the concrete. My reflexes were pretty good. I threw the cameras straight out so they wouldn’t get harmed, although my jaw was almost dislocated. I tried to get up but I was pinned. Twisting around, it became pretty apparent what happened. A highly intoxicated Lion’s fan went to streak the field. When he jumped down from the stands, he landed right on top of me.

The police rushed over and untangled us. I was pretty loopy but he was knocked out. I guess his head hit the concrete harder than mine. As I was being escorted to medical and I stopped after a few steps and took this photo.

My one and only chance to shoot on the sidelines at an NFL game totally bombed. Kind of like the Broncos at the Super Bowl. On the upside, the Detroit Lions did win that particular game.

Paul - Yeah, it really happened. I stopped telling people about it years ago because as I told the story, it didn't even ring true to me. My dad was actually at that game and saw it happen and my mom was a nurse at the hospital where they took the guy who has a concussion. My back and my chin hurt for a couple of weeks after that game.February 6, 2014 - 5:52 pm

Jim Wedlake - Yes it really happened just the way Paul described it.
I was in the Press Box watching the game and a friend said "Hey look some naked guy fell out of the stands in the end zone on a photographer." I looked and yelled, "Oh shit my lens!"February 6, 2014 - 8:29 pm